Today, in industrialized countries, many people sit for long periods of time. They sit while eating, while going to work in cars or buses, in school classrooms, in meetings, in offices, and at home while watching television. Many people also sit at work operating machines which new technology has developed to replace manual work. Although sitting requires less physical effort than standing or walking, sitting puts a lot of stress on lumbar vertebrae and on various muscles of the lower and upper torso and the neck. The combined effects of a sedentary lifestyle and a job that requires sitting can lead to many health problems.
The source of many of these problems is uneven distribution of weight on the disks between the lumbar vertebrae while the individual is sitting. FIG. 1a shows a man standing. The lumbar portion 21 of the spinal column in the standing posture is shown in expanded view in FIG. 1c. As seen in FIG. 1a, the natural position of lumbar portion 21 is concave outward. This produces an even distribution of weight on disks 24, as can be seen in FIG. 1c. In the standing position the muscles of the back and abdomen support the spinal column.
On the other hand, as is illustrated in FIG. 1b, when sitting the lumbar portion 21 is pressed into a concave inward posture. In the concave inward posture, pressure is unevenly distributed in lumbar vertebrae 22, which results in an outward pressure on disks 24 as illustrated by arrows 52 in expanded view FIG. 1d of lumbar portion 21 in the sitting posture. This outward pressure produces back pain and can lead to slipped disks and other health problems.
Many of the health problems related to a sedentary lifestyle can be alleviated by proper stretching, exercise, and fitness routines and by improved posture when resting. The exercises should be challenging enough to improve ones fitness, but not endanger the health or well being of the exerciser. In many forms of exercise the exerciser runs a high risk of injury through accidents or through overuse of certain joints. For example joggers and bicyclist run a risk of traffic accidents and the constant pounding of jogging may injure the feet or knees of the jogger.
Therefore there is a demand for exercise equipment that is safe and comfortable and promotes effective strengthening and stretching of the lumbar area. Many devices are available for facilitating exercises, for physical therapy or for physical training. Mats of various forms exist for therapeutic exercises or to improve safety and comfort or adjust the difficulty of conventional exercises (such as sit-ups and push-ups).
Athletes have long used exercise horses, the Swiss ball and similar spherical or semi-spherical exercise devices such as described in US2004/0220029 and US2005/0009677 for developing balance. Some exercisers have found that the dome shape of the Swiss ball facilitates sit-ups and back stretching exercises as illustrated in US2004/0220029. Nevertheless the Swiss ball and exercise devices based on it do not support the entire body of a exerciser. Thus lying on a Swiss ball or an exercise horse requires good balance and strong muscles. Therefore its use is beyond the ability of most exercisers. Such devices are not well suited to the average office worker and particularly not to workers who are overweight or have injuries to their backs or necks.
Thus, there is a need for a device that facilitates muscle toning exercises and therapeutic routines for gently comfortably stretching and strengthening muscles, tendons and joints and particularly the lumbar area that is affected by constant sitting. The device should also be useful to promote proper stretching of the lumbar area and torso while resting and should be easy and comfortable to be used by office workers and others in various states of health and fitness.
It is therefore a purpose of the present invention to provide an exercise device that is safe and comfortable and promotes effective strengthening and stretching of the lumbar area.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide an exercise device that facilitates muscle toning exercises and therapeutic routines for gently comfortably stretching and strengthening muscles, tendons and joints, particularly in the lumbar area.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide an exercise device that promotes proper stretching of lumbar area and torso while resting.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide an exercise device that can be easily and comfortably used by individuals in various states of health and fitness.
Further purposes and advantages of this invention will appear as the description proceeds.